Wednesday, January 20, 2016

Undaunted Hope (by: Jody Hedlund)

The third book in the Beacons of Hope series by Jody Hedlund continues to follow lightkeepers in 1800's Michigan. This solid series has made for very entertaining reading!

Storyline

Tessa Taylor is trying to escape the reputation of her past, and has finally received her chance at a clean slate. Hired as the new schoolteacher to miner's children in Eagle Harbor, she arrives to find the hopeless little town oppressed in darkness. She desperately wants to make a difference in the community, but her efforts don't seem to change much - especially when the man who hired her holds a strange sway over the townspeople and thwarts her attempts and positive change. Can she be a light in the darkness and hope no one finds out about her foolish choices from the past? And will Tessa stick to her vow to never have anything to do with lighthouses ever again, when the resident light keeper swears to win her love?

Depth

While The "king" of the town, Percival Undergraff, reigns over everyone and seems to know everything that happens in Eagle Harbor - and Tessa soon learns why. Any attempts by her and others to challenge his authority are met with swift and severe consequences. Their struggles are real and feel hopeless at times. What do we do when stuck between the proverbial rock and hard place?

Faith

Many of the characters are people of faith and it is shown primarily through their actions, being kind to the less fortunate, upholding moral standards and praying to God for guidance when needed.

Squeal Factor

Although Tessa at first refuses to let her heart fall in love - and schoolteachers cannot marry - she almost immediately begins to fall for Alex Bjorklund. Their attraction and chemistry are almost instantaneous, but both have reasons for holding back from giving in to their heart's desires. As the plot thickens and their love grows, they share some sweet, tender and intimate moments that were very satisfying to the reader!

Overall

This has been a solid, engaging series by Jody Hedlund, full of historical details about the difficult, isolated lives of lightkeepers in 19th century Michigan. The stories all follow a small wooden cross, fashioned from the wood of a ship by a man shipwrecked, passed from person to person as a reminder to never give up hope. As the cross is passed around, the bigger story is that there is no situation or circumstance that God cannot redeem!